Battery terminal



July 10, 1934. Q MARKS 1,965,846

BATTERY TERMINAL Filed April 27, 1931 Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to battery terminals and more particularly to a battery terminal having a special form of means for connecting the terminal to the battery post. It is particularly 5 adapted for automobiles, where there may be more or less vibration, which sometimes result in the terminal of the relatively heavy starter or ground cable loosening on the battery post. This causes a more or less defective electrical contact between the post and cable terminal, and sometimes results in a complete disengagement of these parts. Then because the current from the generator cannot flow to the battery or is materially reduced to the battery, it flows through other portions of the circuits, and may if excessive burn out fuses, lights and overheat generator. To prevent this damage or reduce the probability of occurrence, it is an object of applicants invention to provide means that readily indents said post to a substantial depth to lock the terminal against accidental, vertical disengagement from the post, and also means which by its relatively deeply indenting edge provides an increase in area of the contacting, conducting surfaces to facilitate the passage of the current.

These and other objects of my invention are attained by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the terminal.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a modification showing the battery post slightly broken away.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevation.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing in dotted outline different dispositions of the shank relative to the body of the terminal.

Referring to the accompanying drawing 1 designates a body portion having a neck 4 and shank 2 which is recessed at 3 to permit its being 501- dered to a cable. The body portion 1 has a V61:- tically disposed opening 5 to receive a battery post P as shown in Figure 2. The terminal is provided with a horizontally disposed tapered slot '7 adapted to receive the steel fastening member or key 6 which is adapted to project as shown at 8 into the post opening 5 and to make a wedge engagement with the surface of the post P. The guiding surfaces of the slot '7 confine the key 6 to movement transversely of the post opening 5. Key 6 having a relatively narrow edge substantially smooth in the direction of its length and being composed of a relatively thin plate of substantial breadth, readily impresses an indentation into the post to such depth as to lock the terminal against vertical displacement on the post P. Key

6 is slightly tapering, with the post engaging edge so nearly parallel to the direction of longitudinal movement of the key that said key upon a long wedging movement is retained in a tightly wedged position solely by frictional contact with 0 the post P and the guiding surfaces of the slot 7. After the key 6 is inserted in slot 7 the portions 9 are spread apart to prevent loss of the key from the terminal. Any suitable tool applied to the end of key 6 may be used to force said key into a tightly wedged locking position.

Various changes may be made in the form, size, proportion and details of construction without departing from the spirit of applicants invention or the scope of the appended claim. 7

What I claim is,

A battery terminal comprising a body portion and a fastening member, said body portion having an opening for receiving a battery post, said body portion having means including guiding surfaces for guiding said fastening member into the post opening and for confining the fastening member to movement transversely of the post opening, said fastening member having an edge inclined to the direction of movement of said fastening member for wedging action against a battery post, said inclined edge being relatively narrow and substantially smooth in the direction of its length and relatively harder than a battery post to impress an indentation into and transversely of a battery post, said inclined edge being so nearly parallel to the direction of movement of the fastening member, that the fastening member upon a relatively long wedging movement is retained in a tightly wedged position solely by friction, said body portion having means for attaching a cable separate from said fastening member, said fastening member comprising a long and relatively thin plate of substantial breadth to facilitate indentation of a battery post to a substantial depth to lock the terminal against removal from the battery post, the plane of said plate being disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of the post opening, said plate and body portion being composed of electrical conducting material.

CHARLES A. MARKS. 

